Weight Weenies

strawtown wrote:Talked to the store on sunday and they said that they will return it and send me a new one. Got an email today that a new bike is on it's way

Congrats thats awesome to hear!!!!

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This is indicative of a larger problem with carbon frame manufacturing. I imagine there are thousands of frames out there that are really out of alignment like this Trek, but because people trust the companies without question (and often actually go into defensive mode at the mere mention that something is not perfect!) the manufacturers continue to put out really bad quality stuff. This is great for the companies as they can put out junk and not have to bin half as much as they should be, so profits remain decent, but for the end user it is often a disaster.

I would urge all people buying a carbon frame to see it in person before you hand over your money, as once the deal is done, it is often very hard to sort it out and you are at the mercy of the dealer / manufacturer.

Stuff that can and does go wrong;

-Off center rear triangle like this Trek; check this in the shop by putting a Shimano Dura Ace wheel in it (Shimano Dura Ace wheels are constistenty the most accurately dished on the market). Measure the left and right distance from the stays and check to see if the brake bridge is centered.

-Non-parallel drop outs. Again, put a wheel in, the slowly close the QR lever and watch to see if both dropout faces meet the axle ends perfectly flat. If one or both meet at an angle, reject the frame. Do this on frame and forks.

-Run your hands over it and see if there are any dips, bumps, depressions etc in the surface.

-Check the paintwork for signs of reworking etc

-Headset; tighten it down slightly too hard then spin the forks round slowly in the head tube and check for tight spots. Any tight spot will mean the bearing seats are not parallel. Unlike metal, you can't machine out the carbon to be perfectly straight so reject of not spot on.

-Examine the steerer very carefully for depressions, and squeeze it hard all over to check for excessive voids. Also check for dodgy resin areas.

-Shine a torch inside all parts and check for stuck inflation bags and dodgy molding.

This in an aluminum bike.

Lol.....

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See pennypants' emonda sl6

Mackers wrote:This in an aluminum bike.

Haha, well most of this can still be applied to an aluminium frame, and should be done before parting with any cash.

You can also run a thread from one rear dropout around the head tube and back to the other dropout, pull it taut, and measure the distance between each side of the seat tube and the thread.

People, there is such a thing as a drop out alignment tool.

http://www.parktool.com/product/frame-and-fork-end-alignment-gauge-set-ffg-2

Has the rear wheel been checked for the correct dish?


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I bought a card 10 and it was not to spec either. Returned it.

Mr.Gib wrote:People, there is such a thing as a drop out alignment tool.

http://www.parktool.com/product/frame-and-fork-end-alignment-gauge-set-ffg-2

'People'. LOL. Worthy of David Brent himself.

There should be no need for the end user to go anywhere near cold setting tools. This is the work of the QC process. Unfortunately, bike companies are shockingly bad at this across the board, which is why we see issues like this time and time again

Check the frame before you buy, and reject if not perfect. The more people who do this, the better, as eventually the message will get across.

bremerradkurier wrote:You can also run a thread from one rear dropout around the head tube and back to the other dropout, pull it taut, and measure the distance between each side of the seat tube and the thread.

This method is not relevant due to many frames not using round seat tubes any longer. Measuring to the bottle boss is more accurate.

Got the new bike today and it's straight out off the box, of course i tried another wheelset and everything is straight. Now i know more about things to look for when buying a new bike, thanks for the help guys and girls!